Electrolytic capacitors (e.g., tantalum capacitors) are increasingly being used in the design of circuits due to their volumetric efficiency, reliability, and process compatibility. For example, one type of capacitor that has been developed is a solid electrolytic capacitor that includes an anode (e.g., tantalum), a dielectric oxide film (e.g., tantalum pentoxide, Ta2O5) formed on the anode, a solid electrolyte layer, and a cathode. The solid electrolyte layer may be formed from a conductive polymer, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,862 to Sakata, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,473,503 to Sakata, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,729,428 to Sakata, et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,812,367 to Kudoh, et al. In the past, the resulting electrolytic capacitor has sometimes been coated with an epoxy coating. However, the resulting coated electrolyte capacitor still suffers in relatively high humidity and/or high temperature environments. For instance, the epoxy coating can weaken, or even degrade, in such environments. Thus, uncoated electrolytic capacitors, or those coated with epoxy, may not provide the desired performance in certain situations.
As such, a need currently exists for a protective coating that can improve an electrolyte capacitor's performance in high humidity and/or high temperature environments.